Anish Thakuri The greatest pleasure in every human life is getting a break from normal life and sinking yourself in the paradise of nature. For the residents of Kathmandu, getting rid of so much artificial life in this concrete environment once in a while is something that should not be missed. Considering this fact, Deerwalk Services had organized one-day hike for Squad D. This time the beautiful destination for Hiking was set to the beautiful Markhu which is located in Makwanpur district. On 26th May, 2018 nine members from squad D and few other members from other Squads braced themselves excitingly for the hike. At 7 AM, deerwalk van departed for the venue. Most of the members gathered at deerwalk complex while few were picked up from their respective location. To our fortune, the landscapes, natural views really amazed us which we encountered while moving to our destination from our vehicle. After an hour ride from Kathmandu, we stopped at ‘Chaukot Devi, Humaney’ for breakfast. Excited and hungry, we enjoyed the spicy chana with egg, sell and not to forget the relaxing cups of tea. The food there was worth mentioning as it had played a big role to erase the hunger of hikers. We reached to Kalanki-Kulekheni at 10 AM, from where our hike officially started. The path wasn’t as tough as we had experienced in our previous hiking’s rather it was a straight road. So all of us approached in the trail with full effort and energy. The downhill view of Indra Sarover lake from the path was captivating. Our hikers couldn’t stop themselves from capturing the breathtaking view in their mobile camera.

The path wasn’t as tough as we had experienced in our previous hiking’s rather it was a straight road.

A huge green hill came in our way to the one tree hill of chitlang and all the hikers couldn’t maintain the same pace from there. So we were separated into different groups. Sadly, there was restriction for public visit to one tree hill. We had our snacks and juices at the top of ‘Salla Dada’ from where we could clearly witness chitlang village and the periphery of beautiful one tree hill. We then stepped down towards the Markhu Lake. The hanging bridge at the Markhu was one breathtaking moment of Hiking. After spending some time in the bank of Indra sarover lake, we ended our four hours hike and returned back to Kathmandu. NEWA LAHANA, where the venue for our lunch was set. Personally, I have been very eager to visit the newa lahana after watching the vlog of Sisan Bainaya. But due to some reason I couldn’t get chance to go there. A very sincere thanks to our hiking coordinator, Diya Shrestha for making it possible. The delicious Newari food items is what you can expect there. We had enough foods and drinks in newa lahana to refill our hunger. We returned to the office by singing songs, cracking jokes all our way which was the best way to add cherry on top of the unforgettable day. 

Kusumakar Shrestha ‘Sometimes all you need
is a great friend and thirst
for adventure’...yes something similar with this thought and excitement. We 13 Deerwalkers started our journey from Kathmandu to Markhu to one tree hill ending at Kulekhani. Though it was supposed to be a 2 days’ trip but we made it on one day. I being the youngest and new fellow I utilized this hike on my best to be close and friendly with my seniors. Every time I read these posts I would think when will I be able to visit these places. Though I am not an outdoor person, I wasn’t sure whether I can do this 1-day hike or not. Being newly added member of Deewalk, I took this opportunity to know my new friends and also to explore my dreams of visiting new places because life is too short to wake up with regrets. On the day of hike, we had decided to leave at sharp 7 from office premises towards Markhu. Most of the members joined us at deerwalk complex while few were picked up from their respective location. We sang songs, cracked jokes all the way, clicked pictures and enjoyed every part of the hike. We reached Markhu village at around 10:30 AM. Then we started our hike from there to One Tree Hill. Although the uphill hike was a bit slippery but the weather was in our favor as it was partly sunny. On the way to One Tree Hill there is also an interesting sheep farm to see. It is very large in area and the evenly distributed grasslands over the hills make the view of the farm very beautiful. After walking for nearly 2 and half hours, we reached One Tree Hill. The view from there was breath-taking. After that, we strolled around the hills for over one hour then headed down to Markhu. Markhu is another place, mostly popular as Indrasarowar. It is the largest manmade lake in Nepal and is the only reservoir based hydropower in Nepal. It was created due to the Kulekhani dam. The lake lies between the gorge of Markhu and Kulekhani VDC. The lake looks peaceful and beautiful along the typical Nepali village. There is also a suspension bridge over the lake that has added beauty and an extra viewpoint of Indrasarowar. You can do boating over there and also the fishes there are famous food. We stayed at bridge for a moment feeling the wind, looking towards the hill. My heart filled with joy, peace and serenity. Then we moved towards the river. As we had planned to complete this trip in one day so we could not do boating due to shortage of time. As the place was crowded so we still had to wait for our turn so we decided not to boat. Overall it was memorable one though, I enjoyed the company of my seniors and our developer Prajesh, his hilarious joke and his epic fall made the journey even more memorable. After that we headed back to have lunch as it was past lunch hour. We headed back to van and decided to have lunch at Kritipur to enjoy the famous Newari delicacies. Taking a lot of photos and gossips made our hiking was easier one. By the time we reached our van everyone was tired, exhausted and hungry but it did not stop us from singing the evergreen classic Nepali songs. After having lunch and resting for half an hour, our vehicle arrived and we headed back for Kathmandu. Overall, this one-day hike is one of the best experience of my life. The hike was a complete package of fun and adventure. Though the hike was short but we had one of the best moments of our life and not to forget we carried back great memories along with getting to know about each other and also stronger friendship, bond and respect among each other.